Second Thoughts: Sociology Challenges Conventional Wisdom

Introducing students to core sociological concepts by debunking popular misconceptions Do birds of a feather flock together or do opposites attract? Does haste make waste or should you strike while the iron is hot? Adages like these-or conventional wisdoms-shape our social life. Each essay in the Fifth Edition of Second Thoughts reviews a conventional wisdom familiar to both instructors and students. The authors introduce relevant sociological concepts and theories in order to explain, qualify, and sometimes debunk conventional wisdom.This unique text encourages students to step back and sharpen their analytic focus. These engaging 23 essays reveal the complexity of social reality and demonstrate the role of sociology in everyday life.

The fifth edition of this entry level college sociology textbook includes new and updated material covering the latest advances in sociological pedagogy as well as new online discussion questions and updated current event tie-ins. Chapter topics are based around snippets of "conventional wisdom" which are examined and evaluated with sociological tools in order to familiarize students with common terms and methodologies. The work includes numerous illustrations, tables, sidebars and discussion questions. Ruane is professor of sociology at Montclair State University and Cerulo is professor of sociology at Rutgers University. An imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Do birds of a feather flock together or do opposites attract? Does haste make waste or should you strike while the iron is hot? Adages like these-or conventional wisdoms-shape our social life. This Fifth Edition of Second Thoughts reviews several popular beliefs and notes how such adages cannot be taken at face value.

This unique text encourages students to step back and sharpen their analytic focus with 24 essays that use social research to expose the gray areas of commonly held beliefs, revealing the complexity of social reality and sharpening students sociological vision.